1. Field
The present disclosure generally relates to systems and methods of identifying the location of people and equipment, and, in particular, relates to the automatic association of medical equipment with proximate caregivers and patients.
2. Description of the Related Art
A commonly followed procedure to ensure the safety of patients being treated in hospitals has been the establishment of the “five rights” of medication administration. These are (1) right patient, (2) right time, (3) right medication, (4) right route of administration, and (5) right dose. For a medication administered via an intravenous (IV) pump, for example, it requires care and attention by the nurse or other caregiver to ensure that the medication matches the patient and that it is administered at the proper flow rate and the proper time. Patients also may receive treatment involving a medical substance other than a medication, e.g. a “normal saline” solution (9 grams of sodium chloride (NaCl) dissolved in 1 liter of water) administered as an infusion to treat dehydration. Maintaining the required level of attention to ensure that medications and medical substances are properly administered can be a challenge in the hectic environment of a hospital.
Automated processes have been increasingly implemented to reduce the potential for human error. Scanning a barcode that is printed on a wristband worn by a patient, for example, ensures that the patient is correctly identified. This type of process, however, often carries a penalty of increased complexity of the process wherein the nurse must manually scan one or more barcodes, which also increases the amount of time required for the nurse to complete a procedure.